Providence Fire Department - Response Guidelines

Response Guidelines

The dispatchers, lieutenants and captain at the Bureau of Operation Control (BOC, also called Fire Alarm) have protocols which in conjunction with Aegis Computer Aided Dispatch software by New World Systems, determine whom to send to what type of emergency. Who is sent depends on how an alarm for help is received and what the closest available (and appropriate) apparatus are at the time of the alarm.

Each type of alarm for help is categorized as either a Box Alarm, Still Box Alarm, Special Signal, or Still Alarm.

A Box Alarm is an alarm for help received from either a street box alarm pulled by a person witnessing an emergency or from a master box alarm found in many high occupancy residential and commercial buildings, schools, dormitories, hospitals, churches. A box alarm assignment may be increased or reduced at the discretion of the BOC or responding chief depending on additional information available, such as a caller stating that construction workers accidentally set off a smoke detector with dust or paint, which in turn transmitted a master box alarm to the BOC. On the other hand, the response may be increased accordingly if a fire-related condition is found or called in.

• Box Alarm Assignment(Street Box) - 1 Engine (and 1 Ladder after 11pm)
• Box Alarm Assignment(Master Box) - 3 Engines, 2 Ladders, 1 Chief

A Still Box is an alarm of fire, smoke, or other fire-related condition in a building received by telephone. Upon transmission of a Code Red indicating a working fire, additional companies are usually dispatched. An Engine company will be dispatched as the Command Company, to assist the incident commander as needed. The engine company officer will become the incident safety officer. An additional Ladder Company will be dispatched as a F.A.S.T. Company (Firefighter Assist and Search Team) to assemble equipment at the scene and be ready to intervene rapidly if a firefighter transmits a mayday message or otherwise requires urgent assistance. The Air Supply truck will be dispatched to replace or refill air bottles used at the fireground. A Rescue company will also be dispatched to a confirmed fire if not already sent.

The incident commander may request additional fire companies in the form of an additional alarm assignment (i.e.- 2nd alarm, 3rd alarm, 4th alarm, etc.) if more personnel and apparatus are needed. Alternatively, any combination of companies may be requested to the scene in addition to companies already responding on a special signal.

• Still Box Assignment(1 Call Received) - 3 Engines, 2 Ladders, Special Hazards 1, 1 Chief
• Still Box Assignment(Multiple Calls Received) - 3 Engines, 2 Ladders, Special Hazards 1, 1 Chief, 1 Rescue
• Code Red(Working Fire) Assignment - 4 Engines(1 as Command Company/Safety), 3 Ladders(1 as F.A.S.T.), Special Hazards 1, 1 Chief (Division 1 will also respond if not already assigned), 1 Rescue, Air Supply Unit
• 2nd Alarm Assignment - 2 Engines, 1 Ladder, 1 Chief
• 3rd Alarm Assignment - 2 Engines, 1 Ladder, 1 Chief (either of the Assistant Chiefs, Chief of Department, or all 3)
• 4th Alarm Assignment - 2 Engines, 1 Ladder
• 5th Alarm Assignment: 2 Engines, 1 Ladder
• 6th Alarm Assignment: 2 Engines, 1 Ladder

A Special Signal is the dispatching of additional companies to an incident which has already been dispatched, without adding an entire additional alarm assignment. A Special Signal Assignment is equal to that of a "Special Call" Assignment in other cities. Examples of common Special Signals:

• Sending a second Rescue to a vehicle accident
• Sending an Engine/Ladder to assist a Rescue with forcible entry
• Sending the Special Hazards to a vehicle accident to assist with extrication
• Sending additional fire apparatus to a fire where the incident commander doesn't request a complete additional alarm assignment
• Sending another company to an emergency when a company already responding encounters another emergency

A Still Alarm is any alarm of an emergency which is not a box alarm, still box alarm or special signal. There are some standard responses, but a still alarm response is determined by the BOC depending on the needs and nature of that specific call.

• 1 Rescue: medical emergencies requiring basic medical care
• 1 Rescue + 1 Engine or Ladder: medical emergencies requiring advanced medical care and/or forcible entry, vehicle accidents
• 1 Engine: car fires, grass fires, downed power lines, water (flooding) emergencies
• 1 Engine + 1 Ladder: commercial alarms monitored by private companies such as ADT
• 1 Engine + Special Hazards 1: vehicles leaking fuel or other fluids, small fuel or oil spills, lockouts from running or occupied vehicles
• 1 Ladder + Special Hazards 1: carbon monoxide detector alarms
• 1 Ladder: forcible entry needs (i.e.-keys locked in building/apartment)
• 1 Engine, 1 Ladder, Special Hazards 1, 1 Rescue, Chief officer: elevator emergencies, industrial accidents, vehicle accidents involving a rollover, (leaking) gas emergencies
• 1 Engine, 1 Ladder, Special Hazards 1, 1 Rescue, Chief officer, Dive Team members: water rescues, ice rescues